Town Manager’s Report and Update August 19, 2024

Project Updates. This week, our crews returned to Main Street to resume our efforts of brush cutting and ditching along the stretch of Main Street between Route 1 and Simonton’s Corner. Next week, a contractor will be grinding up the failed asphalt road base prior to paving a base coat this summer. We expect some additional drainage work will be necessary near the intersection with Park Street at Simonton’s Corner which should extend into early September. While we hope to pave Main Street with a binder coat as soon as we can after the reclamation processing, we would ask motorists to avoid the area until paving has been completed on the entirety of this section of road. The less our road crews have to contend with managing traffic and maintaining a heavily traveled road which will be dirt for a short spell, the better. We will be placing signage on either end of this section of Main Street to limit this area to “Local Traffic Only.” While we hope to have this area paved prior to the start of school, motorists should be aware of these issues.

Also on Main Street, though this section between Route 1 and the Goose River Bridge, contractors from Farley Inc. will begin their work on stormwater improvements and the installation of a sidewalk from the end of Summer Street and concluding at the Town Office. The basins and piping have been delivered and we expect to begin at any time.

The Robinson Drive stream crossing project remains littered with delays as we await the delivery of the box culvert which has been cast and is curing as I type this. While the order for this culvert was placed this winter, an abundance of projects such as this and limitations placed on installing these crossings in low water time of the year causes this to be an unnecessary hurdle and one that once again unreasonably places this project into a tight window of completion.

Our improvements in the Bay Ridge neighborhood are nearing an end. We have completed substantial drainage improvements to Wellington Drive which has been inundated with water issues for years. Our paving contractor, Performance Paving, completed paving Terrier Circle last week and will return at the end of this week to complete paving on Wellington Drive. We had hoped to complete paving on Ashley Terrace and Lexington Drive this summer, but cost increases in other areas of this project and the need for additional stormwater improvements on those roads will require us to return on those roads next summer if the budget process allows.

Town Clerk

Tax Bills
Earlier this month tax bills were circulated to all taxpayers, and we have already seen a great number of payments received thus far. As is always the case, online tax payments can be made at any time of day via the Town’s website or through the QR code we placed on the bill. The first payment for property taxes is due on October 15.

Elections
While we have just under three months until Election Day, steps are already being taken toward what should be as busy an election as we have seen. Absentee ballot requests are now available so for those who struggle to vote in person at the library, this is an excellent opportunity to request a ballot and vote at your convenience. Ballots will not be available until early October but request your ballot now and you will have plenty of time to make your choice. In addition, absentee voters can cast their ballot in person at the Town Office during normal business hours once the ballots are available.

There have been recent news stories about security regarding this election, not only political violence against voters but concerns relating to the ability for voters to cast their ballot and know their voice is registered appropriately. Maine’s Secretary of State’s office is taking unprecedented steps to collaborate with town clerks all over Maine to ensure all of us can do our civic duty safely and free from interference of any type. Thankfully, Rockport is still a small town that can often avoid the issues seen elsewhere, but ensuring a fair and free election is the most important responsibility we undertake, and this responsibility is not taken lightly.

Harbor

Last Sunday was one of our largest Sunday concerts with the Mallet Brothers Band coming down to Marine Park on a picture-perfect summer day and providing several hundred people with a wonderful time. We are excited to welcome the Watts Hall Band on Sunday, September 1st for our final concert of the summer season.

If you wish to participate in helping make these shows part of our summer in 2025, please visitRockportOperaHouse.org/Sponsorship to learn more.

Assessing

Revaluation
Representatives from KRT Appraisal have been circulating around Rockport through the summer visiting various neighborhoods to gather data concerning each property in our town. The data from each property is crucial to provide as clear a representation as possible as to the assessed value of each property.

This process can seem intrusive for property owners, but a full property revaluation requires all data involved to be as accurate as possible. Neither the Town, nor the contractors employed by the Town, wish to provide an inaccurate value to any property owner which could easily be resolved if the revaluation company is able to gather an accurate read on a given property. Obviously, the sales of properties in Rockport in recent months will set a stage to understand the impact of the market value, but we all need each property owner’s help in providing that data through these visits to improve the accuracy of the entire effort.

Rockport has not had a full property revaluation since 2005 and while our assessing department works diligently to gather information each year, the best method to level set all properties is a full property revaluation. We appreciate your assistance through this process.

Marge Jones Fields

Facility Improvements
Maine Tennis and Track resurfaced our tennis courts, and they look phenomenal. We are now utilizing our court reservations policy to ensure all users can use this new space! We hope to have our basketball courts completed later this month.

If you want to schedule the use of a field for this year, email rockportrec@rockportmaine.gov.

Fire Department

EMS
After opening our job postings for advanced EMT/fire fighters and paramedics, we have received 19 applications. We are working through these applications and will be conducting interviews at the end of this month.

Additionally, Maine EMS has approved our department to begin responding to emergency medical calls with the ambulance loaned to us by Greenwood Emergency Vehicles. This 2006 ambulance previously served Lynn, Massachusetts, but after some elbow grease and Turtle Wax, our crew has this rig ready to work. To be clear, we are not transporting patients, but using this loaner helps our staff work out any bugs in our process with this ambulance while we wait for the ambulance, we purchased earlier this year to arrive in early 2025. Many thanks to Joe Moore for his diligent work with Maine EMS to see this rig is added to our license.

West Rockport Fire Station Updates
Progress on the new West Rockport Fire Station has been under cover for many months as the building has been constructed behind the existing fire station. Soon the old building will be torn down, and Maine Coast Construction will move this project into a new phase, rounding the corner toward completion on November 1st. Many thanks to volunteer fire fighters Mike Robertson and Clay Tolman who will house some of the West Rockport station’s apparatus until the building is complete.

Calls
The fire department has had 242 calls as of the end of July and our first responding crew has had 80 EMS calls in 2 months of operations. Not to mention a memorable “Around the Mountain” rescue which involved many of volunteers working the better part of a day to remove a lost vehicle from the Coastal Mountain Land Trust property behind Mirror Lake.

Boot Drive
Thank you all who contributed to the Pacific Engine Company’s annual boot drive last week at the corner of Route 17 and 90. This year’s drive raised over $9,331 which the Pacific Engine Company uses to offer scholarships for local students pursuing careers in public safety, the annual Adopt A Family at the holidays, the home smoke detector campaign, and many more efforts.

Volunteers
For those interested in learning more about joining the fire department, please contact Chief Peasley at jpeasley@rockportmaine.gov

Employment Opportunities

We have several job openings with the Town of Rockport, stop by the Town Office for an application or call and we can email you an application.

The Town of Rockport is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Job applications are available on our town website, along with a detailed job description and pay/benefits. 

Patrol Officer

Heavy Equipment Operator
The Public Works Department is currently accepting applications for two Heavy Equipment Operators.

This position involves manual work in road construction, repair, and maintenance, snow and ice removal, and other seasonal public works projects. The salary range for this position is $25 to $27 per hour, dependent on experience and training. Those with a CDL are preferred. Training is available for the right candidate to assist in gaining their CDL License. The person in this position will work under the direction of the Public Works Director.

Civic Ready

We encourage all residents to sign up for this, if you are interested in knowing what is happening in the Town of Rockport. What is great about this system is that you decide which types of information you receive whether it is a reminder when property taxes are due to information on an upcoming event at the library, opera house or when a public works project is happening in your neighborhood; Civic Alert can keep you informed. Those interested can also sign up for alerts on our website

Maine Water Assistance Program

Is a federally funded program to help support eligible households in having access to drinking water and wastewater utility services. Households will be required to have water liability to be eligible for the drinking water/wastewater program. To receive an application, you can call 888- 623-6762 or email water@mainehousing.org.

Rockport Resource Newsletter

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